Happy 4th of July!

A couple of my favorite videos to commemorate the day.

The Muppets

Robin Williams

Houston Restaurant Weeks 2010

Despite my best efforts, I was a latecomer to the Houston Yelp Eats! this year. It's this week--that's right, it's going on now, and ends on Sunday. Details here. Last year it was in July, so I was a little thrown off.

Also, the Westchase District (I'm not as much of a latecomer to this, but I didn't announce it early) is having Westchase Wednesdays. Here's a list of coupons usable on Wednesdays this month. Details here.

But, have no fear--the 'main' Houston Restaurant Week is yet to come, starting August 1 and lasting a massive [i]three weeks[/i]. Details galore here.

Enjoy the dining!

Summer, OLED, and charities

Welcome to Grilled Cheese Season! I've heard that the best grilled cheese sandwiches are made with gruyere and green apple.

I like hearing about OLED stuff. Sony's making notebook-sized OLEDs.

Houston is the second most charitable city.

Cameras, Syrup, USB, and Geeky Stuff.

Here's one way to get back your stolen/lost cameras. I wonder if this actually works.

Unsurprisingly, high fructose corn syrup is really bad for you. Stick to sugar.

I really love these chainable USB plugs. Why hasn't this been done earlier?

I know I'm a geek, but I think this Mario statue is really cool. And so is this watermelon death star.

Lastly, if you need a laugh, check out this webcomic or Joe Wong. Joe went to Rice University, too! I'll be watching to find out if he ever comes back.

Follow up on Schmit

Following up on a previously mentioned mention of Schmit, I've found further confirmation that chef Schmit will be opening a restaurant this year (though, not necessarily in the same area mentioned before). Also, Smarty Pants Consulting lists chef Philippe Schmit as one of their projects...

Chef Philippe Schmit (2008/2009)

Acclaimed Houston chef

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PROJECT: New signature restaurant

Business Plan Development (define concept, assess marketing strategies, analyze pro forma projections and return on investment) and location strategy and selection.

Exciting!

Best of Houston 2009

Alison Cook makes her list of best new restaurants of 2009--Houston-area places, of course. Gotta say, I should travel north more often, not that I subscribe to the believe that Houston's good restaurants are all in the loop. Rioja, after all, is outside the beltway.

And, the Loop Scoop gives their list of Houston's top 10 coffee shops. Salento used to be in my top 5, but they've changed a lot. It's now sleek-wine instead of cozy-coffee. The top three places, I'd say, have been among the best for many years, though I'd probably have put the old Salento at #3. This place should really be on the list, though. Top 5.

Houston food and quirk

There are a lot of good restaurants in Houston. There are also a lot of popular but not so great restaurants. Try some of these out: under $25, and hidden gems.

Here's a tribute to some good restaurants of Houston's past. Among them, of course, my old favorite Bistro Moderne.

Speaking of Bistro Moderne, in this review of Max's Wine Dive, the author casually mentions that the ex-Bisitro Moderne chef Philippe Schmit (misspelled in the article) is opening up a new restaurant soon! What big news to tuck away! More information must be coming. For the record, Max's Wine Dive is good (maybe not as good as Block 7), but is old news nonetheless.

Lastly, quirky Houston things. I've been wanting to go to the Beer Can House.

Heroin, latino Catholics, Android, and solar cells

Heroin is apparently an effective treatment for heroin addicts.

Latinos might be the future of the U.S. Catholic Church? They were part of the Catholic Church already. The story should be about latinos moving to the United States, and being the largest ethnic minority in the United States.

Android is now a battlefield tool.

Sharp sets a new record for solar cells. 35.8% conversion efficiency.

Hyperdrive, Anglicans, the black Wii, and the D&D Surface

A physicist wants to test hyperdrive. You thought it was science fiction?

The Vatican is making conversion of Anglicans a bit easier. They've been working on this for some time, though.

Nintendo is releasing a black Wii! ... In Europe. That's a pretty good bundle.

Some people are using the Microsoft Surface to play D&D. Looks pretty cool.

Lee Kuan Yew

On Charlie Rose, Lee Kuan Yew seems like a good, intelligent man with a multi-polar view of the future, a grasp of how globalization can help the world, and recognition of the importance of technological and social progress.

He was the first prime minister of Singapore, and currently the 'Minister Mentor'.